Chapter 2

Phileas never noticed Verne's leave-taking.

He stared at the apparition standing in the doorway clothed in sunlight; as one under the grip of a double vision, a memory of having seen her wrapped in sunlight like this before. They had been aboard ship and the sight of her had been as awe-inspiring then as now.

The apparition moved into the shadows of the carriage house moments later, turning back into the young woman Phileas had brought home for his bride. Fogg mentally shook himself, forcing his breathing to resume.

Phileas, you really need to get hold of yourself. One minute you are despairing of the situation, and the next you are waxing poetic like a moonstruck boy.

Where did Jules disappear to?

Phileas looked away from Melody for a moment as she walked toward him to gather his wits. He would deny it until judgment, but his attraction to the woman didn't waver despite the circumstances. Melody did things to him when she walked into a room, when she was relaxed enough to laugh or smile, when she sat with him alone in the evenings. She didn't have to do or say anything. Her mere presence was enough to fill his mind with thoughts he shouldn't be thinking of a woman he suspected of forcing her way into his life.

Now, with the acceptance of their union had come thoughts of reconciling with her, no matter how this came to be, doing away with the self-imposed celibacy included. Phileas knew enough about women not to consider bringing up intimacy just yet. She might have been his willing lover at sea, but things were different between them now. He would have to take that slowly.

Not understanding the effect she was having on her husband's thoughts, Melody continued into the carriage house and bent down to lay her hand on the ebony horse's head, softly stroking the satin finish down its neck to the saddle. "I have always fancied this one best," she said, smiling at it. "It looks so much like the Prince of Rajasthan's favorite mount. He and father were friends while he served in that district. They both loved the Marwari horses. This one had been a parting gift from the prince just before we left India."

"Your father collected all these?"

"Yes. He loved horses," Melody said. "He wanted to set up a breeding stable after he retired. Charles thought it frivolous, but many of father's friends thought it a fine idea. He had good contacts with breeders of Arabians and Marwari. He had planned to raise both. Three more years and he would have retired to our old home in Kent to do it."

"I'm sorry." It was all Phileas could think, and far too little. Melody's expressive face showed everything: grief, love, a collection of unspoken, happy memories. This small private moment spoke vividly of the relationship she had with her father. Phileas envied that. "Will you be dividing these with your brother?"

"Charles won't care anything about these," Melody said. "He had no interest in father's love for horses or anything else father liked. We were not a close family. You don't remember my telling you of that, do you?"

"No, I don't. Sorry."

"My parent's marriage was never a good one. I, being younger, wasn't as affected by the strain as Charles was. My traveling with father healed what rifts there had been between us. I have wondered, if Charles had not been at university… if father had taken him abroad as well… Things could have been healed between them."

"Could there be someplace I can display these?" she said, cradling the ebony horse.

"We will find a place," Phileas said. "It is a startling collection. I should think most would be welcomed in a museum."

"As art perhaps, but not for antiquity," Melody said. "Most of it isn't old. The little gold one there is the oldest. It is from China, and the Chinese wouldn't consider it of consequence, as it is only one hundred years old."

"We should bring these into the house," Phileas said. "These and the papers I unearthed from over there. You had a solicitor settle your father's business before you left Alexandria, didn't you?"

"No, Colonel Patterson sent a man to manage all that," she said. "Of course, I managed the accounts for father, but the corporal was ordered to do it all. He wouldn't let me help, even after I explained my familiarity. He didn't even let me into father's room until he had finished. Did you find something amiss?"

Phileas would have groaned aloud if Melody weren't with him. He would have to go through it all carefully. In the end, he might also have to get Mr. Evans, the family solicitor, involved.

"I was just curious," he said.